Download The definition of transparency in the context of different

The definition of transparency in the
context of different cultures and societies
Tero Varjoranta
Director General, Professor
STUK, Finland
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Tero Varjoranta
1
Content of my presentation
• Understanding the issue
– What is transparency, culture,
society?
– Our world: differences and
striking similarities
– Do my words carry my
thoughts?
• 7 Challenges
• 7 Tips
• Conclusions
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Transparency?
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Media transparency, in the communications industry
Government transparency
Radical transparency in management
Corporate transparency in business operations
Transparency (behavior), a metaphor implying visibility in contexts related to the
behavior of individuals or groups
Transparency (behavior), performing in such a way that it is easy for the agent or others
to see what's wrong, e.g., the standard way to make change at a point of sale
Transparency (linguistic), a term used in linguistics and the philosophy of language
Transparency (market), a term in economics
Transparency (philosophy), an adjective applied to a state in which the subject can be
aware of being in that state
Transparency (social), the social value of access to information held by centers of
authority
Transparency (trade), the formal principle of the WTO that a country’s policies and
regulations affecting foreign trade should be clearly communicated to its trading
partners.
Transparency International, an organization working for governance, corporate, banking
and association transparency
• any many others....
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Tero Varjoranta
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Transparent?
It’s good for you,
I know,
I’m THE expert!
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Tero Varjoranta
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Transparent?
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1. Understanding the issue
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"You can get sick by
what you put in your mouth,
but
you can get hurt by
what comes out of your mouth.“
Chinese proverb
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Transparency in the context of different cultures
and societies; What is “Culture”?
• Culture (Latin: cultura) is a term that has many different inter-related
meanings
• For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a
list of 164 definitions of "culture“
• The set of a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values,
expectations, and norms of behaviours
• It refers to coherent groups of people
• Sub-groups: organizational cultures like that of UN and the IAEA
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Cultures differ along many dimensions
Four of the most important are:
• Directness (get to the point versus imply the
messages)
• Hierarchy (follow orders versus engage in
debate)
• Consensus (‘voting’ is accepted versus
unanimity is required)
• Individualism (individual winners versus team
effectiveness; when can you win alone?)
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Transparency in the context of different cultures
and societies; What is “Society”?
• States: There are 191 – 196 states in the world
• Languages: about 6900 (http://www.sil.org/worldwide.html)
– Europe: 239 spoken languages
– Africa: more than 2000 languages
– about 500 ”dying languages”
• Different Cultures: ???
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• IAEA has 151 Member States
• In which even more languages are spoken
• Cultural differences
– Societies
– Organizational cultures (UN culture)
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However, surprising similarities
But you, I, she, he,
all of us in the world,
we have some things in common
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Transparency; We all want
to succeed and be happy in our lives
• In today’s world your
success depends on
others; your success is
often made or
jeopardized by others
• (Intercultural)
communication is a key to
success
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Striking similarities in communication
• There are six facial expressions common to all of us in the
whole world;
• Around the world, we all understand them without any
common words or language!
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joy
surprise
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Fear
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Anger
Disgust
Sadness
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Other feelings that can be understood by most of
people without words
Bored
Concentration
Confusion
Desire
Excitement
Empathy
Frustration
Flirt
Love
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There are masters of
Transparency,
In every culture
In every society
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Masters of transparency
Deep in human “hard-drives!!!”
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Transparecy; “Do my words carry my thoughts?”
• I have a thought
• I code it in words
• I speak words to you; verbally and
non-verbally
• You hear and see me
• You de-code it
• My words become a thought in you
• Did my words carry my thought to
you?
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Communication,
coding and
decoding
depends on our
cultural
backgrounds
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my values, beliefs,
attitudes, norms,
customs, habits,
symbols, education,
expectations, moral,
ethics, superstitions,
concerns, fobias,
language, …
“The single biggest
problem in
communication is the
illusion that it has
taken place”
Sir Bernand Shaw
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2. Challenges and problems
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Challenge 1: We come with different rights, values,
and needs
• Needs, values, rights: Many assumed, unspoken, (e.g. for safety,
security, love, a sense of belonging to a group, self-esteem, and
the ability to attain one's goals).
• Personal security, dignity, and control: issues will be very
different
• rigidly class-based culture meets a discussing flat-organized
culture
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Challenge 2: Misinterpreting each other's motives
• Individuals, organizational units: section, division, departments
• For instance, in some cultures an independent figure of self is
dominant and valued.
– This independent figure is characterized by a sense of self relatively distinct from
others and the environment.
• In interdependent cultures, an interdependent figure of self is
dominant.
–
There is a much greater emphasis on the interrelatedness of the individual to others
and the environment, the self is meaningful only (or primarily) in the context of social
relationships, duties, and roles.
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Challenge 3: Language difficulties
• Hard to communicate not only due to language barrier but also affected
by culture styles
• “Lost in translation”: The same word can translate to different things to
people from different cultures
– When translation has to be used to communicate, the potential for
misunderstandings increases
• The one difficulty that comes into play is Paralanguage, “Language
refers to what is said, Paralanguage refers to how it is said”
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Challenge 4: Power relationships
• Who is on top of the social, economic, and/or political hierarchy
• “End result” is the driver in some other cultures
• The relationships between sex, racial or ethnic groups, economic
jealousy
• Nations may assert that their political systems are superior
• Difficult to resolve because no-one wants to be the loser
• What may appear just or fair to one group can seem unjust to an
opposing group
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“It is amazing
how much you can
accomplish
when it doesn't
matter who gets the
credit.”
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Challenge 5: “To inform and involve others or not
to, that’s the question?”
• Basic assumption on information availablity differs (even in
Europe: public vs. confidential)
• Internationally concept of “informing and involving the public”
differs even if it be a legal commitment (EIA)
• Some cultures assume that the individuals know very little about
what they are being told, and therefore must be given a lot of
background information
• Some give very little background information
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Challenge 6: Same words can carry different
thoughts
• What I say
• how I say, how I appear when I say it
– Some more sensitive to intonations and non-verbal signs
– Even logically the same words should convey the same
meaning, volume, rate, and emphasis placed on those words
can change the meaning of the phrase and purpose
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Challenge 7: What is OK in one country, can be wrong in
another country
For example:
• Being late from a meeting
• Ways in education
• Ways to communicate
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Tip 1: Show simply respect
• Simple everyday things
• Respecting differences
• Use these differences to challenge your own assumptions about the
"right" way of doing things and as a chance to learn new ways to solve
problems
• Harness diversity
– Better problem solving power
– Specialists in local cultures
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Tip 2: Never assume they can understand you
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Tip 2: Never assume they can understand you (cont.)
Correct or understandable?
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Tip 2: Never assume they can understand you (cont.)
Its important to say “I don’t understand?”
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Tip 2: Never assume they can understand you (cont.)
Transparent?
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Tip 2: Never assume they can understand you (cont.)
Letters, statements, guides, manuals, instructions
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Tip 3: Slow Down to avoid misunderstandings
• If you have some difficulty
understanding your colleagues,
they probably have the same
difficulty understanding you
• The faster you talk, the more
difficult you are to understand
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Tip 3: Slow Down to avoid misunderstandings
(cont.)
• Intellectual to be short & clear, or
long and complicated?
• Respect the local communication
formalities and styles
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Tip 4: Better to be “doctor” than “judge”
• Diagnose well, then act for better
– 1st: DO NO HARM!
• Rather than searching for who should
receive the blame for the problem, search
for ways to make the communication work
• Listen actively and empathetically
• Honour others' opinions about what is
going on
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Tip 5: Be sensitive when communication goes
from casual to crusial
Opposing
opinions
Strong
emotions
Crusial
conversations
High Stakes
When it matters most, we often do our worst!
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Tip 6: Watch your body language; wrong message
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Tip 7: one-size-does-NOT-fit all
• Use generalizations rather to
understand better and appreciate
other multifaceted human beings
• Remember that cultural norms may
not apply to the behaviour of any
particular individual
• We are all more complicated than
any cultural or societal norm could
suggest
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Conclusions
• Transparency is both complex and
simple
• Many differencies, many similarities
– Certainly fascinating and rewarding
• Always start by assuming the best of
intentions of others!
• Our actions speak much louder than
our words!
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